


all in a name

by lookforanewangle



Series: behind your darkest doubts | whumptober 2020 [3]
Category: Batman (Comics), Nightwing (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Former Talon Dick Grayson, Gen, Hurt No Comfort, Manhandling, No proofreading we die like mne, Non-sexual hair pulling, Stabbing, Swords, Whumptober 2020, but not graphic, description of injury, dick is trying to remember who he is and that starts with a name, it's not super graphic but beware, talia is here but she's not actually named bc it's part of a bigger story, threat of injury
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-04
Updated: 2020-10-04
Packaged: 2021-03-07 15:53:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 772
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26810203
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lookforanewangle/pseuds/lookforanewangle
Summary: "Richard," he bites. "My name is Richard.""No surname?""No."Grayson ismine,he thinks viciously.No one else will know that name, no one else will take it away. No more Talon, no more Gray Son.—No 3. MY WAY OR THE HIGHWAYManhandled | Forced to their Knees | Held atGunpointSwordpoint
Series: behind your darkest doubts | whumptober 2020 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1951099
Comments: 9
Kudos: 62





	all in a name

**Author's Note:**

> another long-ish one but I was inspired!! this will be part of a talon au I've been tinkering with since 2015 :o will I ever finish? I mean. I hope so. I've written 12.8k + this so far since 2019, and haven't written the middle yet (aka all the talon stuff) so uh. here's hoping??

He wakes to burning heat, the cloying stench of sweat and blood, and a buzzing-ringing in his ears.

Talon— _Grayson. It is Grayson, remember this—_ winces, curling up on his side as his eyes open, taking in the sights around him. He freezes.

He is surrounded by people dressed head to toe in black, guns slung across shoulders and katanas drawn at the ready. He panics for a brief moment as the situation registers; the sun pounds down mercilessly upon him, he is surrounded by warriors that are decidedly not-Talons and Talon— _GraysonRichardGraysonRichardGrayson—_ does not remember how he arrived here.

His hand sneaks to his belt, fingers clutching tightly to his blade. If he must fight his way out of here to live another day, so be it. He is not done with this life yet.

The crunch of boots across sand catches his attention and he pushes up to an elbow to observe. He's tense all over, ready to bolt at a moment's notice. A set of boots pauses before him. Another stands behind.

"Get up."

The order is said calmly, quietly, but there is a danger there, a threat beneath the words that Richard picks up on all too easily. He glances upwards at the woman before him, her gaze smooth but deadly. Richard does not move, his eyebrows drawn down in confusion and anger. Her lips purse at his lack of action.

"I will not ask again."

Richard does not move, except to grip the handle of his blade tighter and loosen the rest of his limbs in preparation. The boots behind him shift forwards, and Richard is suddenly a blur of motion, kicking out at the figure behind him and bringing them to their knees as he shoves his blade into their shoulder. Before he can make another move, a hand is latched into his hair and pulling him viciously up to his own knees, a sword held flush to his throat.

He stills.

The woman glares at him, eyes cold and calculating.

"You will answer my questions honestly, or I will split your throat and leave you to bleed out in the sand. You try to attack or escape, I will run you through. Do you understand?"

Richard glowers at her, hatred seething from every pore. He had risked his life escaping from the Talons to find his way home, wherever that was anymore, only to stumble into another group of assassins. How lucky.

"Ask your questions," he grits roughly, his throat parched. "If my answers are not to your satisfaction, that does not make them any less true. Will you uphold your word?"

"That depends on your answers," she replies. "If they are...dissatisfactory, I may change my mind."

"Typical, of an assassin of the Shadows."

She freezes, there and gone before anyone else would have noticed. She hums. "Perhaps. But we protect what is ours, regardless of outcome. Now answer me this: what is your name?"

He's quiet a moment too long, and her hand tightens in his hair. He hisses.

"Richard," he bites. "My name is Richard."

"No surname?"

"No."

 _Grayson is_ **_mine_ ** , he thinks viciously. _No one else will know that name, no one else will take it away. No more Talon, no more Gray Son._

She frowns, fingers shifting on the hilt of her sword. "I left a name behind long ago," he continues. "No one else knows me by it, or ever will. It is irrelevant, and is of no use to you."

Her eyes narrow. 

“That is yet to be determined. But no mind. Next question: why have you come to this place?”

“I—it was an accident,” he admits haltingly, embarrassed. _Always be aware of your surroundings. Remember all. Forget nothing, lest risk death. Mistakes will result in your termination._

And yet.

“I don’t know how I got here, or where here _is_.”

“You knew I was of the Shadows, and yet you do not know where you are?”

“No,” he admits quietly. “Knowing one is a Shadow does not mean I know where they reside.” She meets his gaze head on, her eyes searching for any semblance of a lie. He holds steady, sweat drenching every bit of him, too many pairs of eyes watching the situation unfold. It makes him nervous.

“Very well,” she says, roughly releasing his hair and pulling the sword from his throat. Dick takes a shaky, steadying breath, limbs trembling suddenly in the adrenaline crash and heat and exhaustion. “Get up,” she commands again, watching him closely as he pockets his blade. “We are not finished yet.

“We will continue our questions elsewhere.”

**Author's Note:**

> this will definitely show up again mostly verbatim once I get the au ball rolling more lmao. also, feel free to ask me about this au!! it might kick my butt into gear to get more written 👀 I might not be able to answer everything, bc I don't want to give out any spoilers, but ask away!
> 
> you can find me on tumblr with the same name :)


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